A spongy, fleshy fungi that grows in the thick of the woods, on trees and even underground, mushrooms are a favorite in a wide variety of cuisines. Found on every continent in the world, mushrooms provide a taste and texture like no other food we know. Mushrooms are a great source of healthy vegetarian protein, dietary fiber, B-vitamins, and selenium. With thousands of varieties of mushrooms, ranging in flavor and texture from mild to meaty, there’s sure to be a mushroom for every preference…

Mushrooms 101

Hailing from the fungi family, mushrooms are a truly unique food. Mushrooms range in size from tiny (less than ½-inch) to gargantuan (over 12 inches across), in flavor from bland to nutty to earthy, in color from white to black (and most anywhere in between) and in texture from spongy to crunchy. And, when it comes to mushrooms, there are literally thousands of varieties available across the globe. While you may have many choices for fungi in your area, we’re just going to touch on some of the most familiar mushrooms:

BUTTON - The mushroom most familiar to all is the small, white button mushroom. Usually found atop salads and fresh sandwiches, button mushrooms also cook up well and are found in a variety of dishes, including soups, sauces and even on top of pizza.

CREMINI - While cremini (or crimini) mushrooms are brown in color, they are actually most closely related to the small, white button mushroom most people are familiar with. Cremini’s are mild in flavor and cook well in many dishes.

CHANTERELLE - The large trumpet-shaped chanterelles usually come with ruffled golden-yellow caps, although there is also a French variety of this mushroom that is black. Depending on where they’re grown, chanterelles can vary in flavor anywhere from earthy to nutty to fruity.

ENOKI - Native to Japan, the enoki mushroom is a sprout-like mushroom with tiny caps topping a long, thin stem. Found mainly in Asian cooking, enoki mushrooms are a very mild, slightly sweet tasting mushroom that is quite fragile and is most often enjoyed raw or lightly cooked.

PORCINI - Ranging in size from 1 to 10 inches across, porcini mushrooms are the Italian version of the cepe, a variety of French mushroom. These mushrooms feature a brown cap, and a spongy surface where the gills normally would be. In the U.S., porcini mushrooms are grown in the Northwest (Washington and Oregon) and are rather expensive, although highly sought after for their extraordinary taste.

PORTOBELLO - Native to Italy, the portobello is actually the full-grown version of a cremini mushroom, ranging in diameter from 4 to 5 inches across. This full-flavored, meaty mushroom has dark brown-black gills. Portobello caps are often sold alone for grilling and make an especially tasty vegetarian burger.

SHIITAKE - Dark brown-black and umbrella-shaped, shiitake mushrooms are a very meaty-tasting mushroom widely found throughout Asian cooking. Shiitake mushrooms are especially prized for the fact that they contain all eight essential amino acids (protein building-blocks), a feat which many other foods cannot match.

TRUFFLE - Truffles, not the rich, chocolate variety, are a much sought-after, very expensive variety of mushrooms. Topping $400 a pound, truffles are either white or black, and actually grow completely underground, beneath the roots of oak trees. This variety of mushroom is rich in iron and potassium.

Selection, Storage & Cooking

When choosing mushrooms, you can either select canned, dried or fresh. Fresh young mushrooms will have closed gills, while older mushrooms will have gills in full view. Choose mushrooms that feel firm to the touch, have unbroken skin, and are not slimy or rancid smelling. Once you have your mushrooms home, they can either be stored in the refrigerator in a loose paper bag or original packaging for up to three days. When you’re ready to start cooking, do not wash your mushrooms. Mushrooms are extremely absorbent and will soak up any moisture, making them slimy and quite unappetizing. Instead, dampen a paper towel or kitchen towel and wipe the caps clean of any dirt right before use.

Recipes often call for just mushroom caps, but you can reuse the stems later in soups or casseroles simply by breaking them off, tossing in a plastic bag, and placing them in the freezer. However, shiitake mushroom stems are too fibrous to eat and should either be thrown out, or used to flavor sauces. Be sure to remove these stems once the sauce is ready.

Mushrooms can be eaten raw, sliced on top of salads, added to sandwiches or wraps, or eaten whole. Mushrooms are also great grilled, sautéed, stuffed and stir-fried with just about any meat or mix of veggies. Toss grilled mushrooms on top of burgers or grill a portobello cap for a meatless grilled meal. Sautéed mushrooms are fabulous in omelettes, or simply add them to soups, stews and casseroles. For a great mushroom recipe that you won’t forget, try our Balsamic Grilled Flank Steak with Shiitake Mushrooms.

Nutritional Benefits

Mushrooms may not seem like a nutrient-rich food, but are actually an excellent source of B-vitamins, especially riboflavin and niacin, and are also rich in selenium.

Nutritional Benefits

- 7 medium Mushrooms, cooked -

- 7 medium Mushrooms, cooked -

Calories

22

Fat

0

Carbohydrates

4g total (2g dietary fiber)

Protein

2g

Nutrient RDAs

4mg niacin

25-29%

73mg phosphorus

10%

299mg potassium

10-15*

0.3mg riboflavin

23-27%

10mcg selenium

14-18%

0.1mg thiamin

8-9%

0.1mg vitamin B6

8%

3mg vitamin C

5%

*There is no RDA for potassium, but you need about 2,000-3,000mg/day

We're Here to Help!

Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day supplies your body with essential nutrition, and also helps keep calories in check. Just one-half cup of raw or seven whole cooked mushrooms counts as one serving, and adding mushrooms to your arsenal of healthy foods is a great way to aim for "5-A-Day" while also adding variety to your meals. If your lifestyle is more hectic than peaceful and you’re not getting the proper nutrition your body needs, get your own Free Personalized Vitamin Profile today to find out which vitamins are right for your lifestyle, risk factors and nutrient needs. A healthy lifestyle begins with a healthy body, so don't leave your health to chance.